Euroleague cities enjoy arena construction boom

In a tour of Croatia and Slovenia last weekend, Euroleague Basketball CEO Jordi Bertomeu met with local government and basketball officials to review arena plans that will greatly enhance the seating capacity and quality of facilities for basketball fans in the region. The arena boom in those two countries include one new arena already finished, one that is more than half-built and another in the design stage. They are part of an arena building movement in Euroleague cities across the continent that promises to exponentially improve the European basketball experience for teams, fans and communities in the near future. Starting last season, arenas have been opened, put into construction or approved in no less than seven Euroleague cities. "The impetus to build big, new arenas with capacities to fit many more fans in spectacular new settings speaks to the constant growth in popularity of the Euroleague in particular and European basketball in general," Bertomeu said. "Everyone recognizes the great potential in our sport now, which is why governments, investors, clubs and sponsors are putting their faith in these ambitious projects."



Bertomeu's first stop in Croatia was the construction site of a new 15,400-seat Zagreb Arena, which is slated to open by early 2009. The building is expected to become Cibona Zagreb's home for future Euroleague games and will almost triple the size of the club's current arena. Next, Bertomeu visited the new 9,200-seat Zadar Arena, in one of Croatia's largest city, that will be the home court of that city's Eurocup team, KK Zadar. Three-time Euroleague champion KK Split is also building a brand new, 12,500-seat arena. Finally, Bertomeu met with officials in Ljubljana, Slovenia about their plans, still in development, to open a new 12,000-seat venue in the country's capital city.

The arena-building explosion in progress has included the 13,000-seat Khodynka Sports Palace in Moscow, where champion CSKA Moscow played a sold-out Euroleague game last season. Already this autumn, the shining new O2 World, site of next spring's 2009 Euroleague Final Four, has opened with a splash in Berlin, Germany as Euroleague team Alba Berlin sold out the 14,800-seat venue for its first domestic league game.



Fans in several other cities can expect their own large new venues to watch Euroleague Basketball. Construction has recently begun on a new home for Zalgiris Kaunas in Lithuania's second-largest city. The arena, as yet unnamed, will seat 15,000 fans, tripling the capacity of the team's current building. The Turkish capital of Istanbul is planning two new arenas that, when ready, are expected to be available to Euroleague teams Fenerbahce Ulker and Efes Pilsen. At the same time, Siena, Italy, plans an 11,000-seat arena where Italian champions Montepaschi Siena will play full-time. Presentation of the project, to be built with the help of Fondazione Montepaschi, is slated for mid-November and the arena opening targeted for the second half of 2009. In Malaga, Spain, where Unicaja already plays before 10,000 fans, an expansion of Martin Carpena Sports Palace is also planned.

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